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Utah nurse pleads guilty to giving prescription medications to jail inmates without authorization

A Uintah County jail nurse accused of giving prescription medications to inmates without authorization has resolved the case with a plea deal.

Helen Marie Bemis, 58, was charged in June in 8th District Court with two counts of class A misdemeanor violation of the Pharmacy Protection Act.

Bemis last month entered a guilty plea in abeyance to one of the counts. The case will be dismissed next August if Bemis has no new violations of the law and pays a $750 court fee.

As of Friday, Bemis remained licensed as a registered nurse.

“ ... to date, no disciplinary action has been taken against Ms. Bemis' Utah RN license, nor have any citations been issued to Ms. Bemis,” said Jennifer Bolton, with theUtah Department of Commerce.

Vernal police officials began an investigation in March after jail workers contacted authorities about Bemis allegedly giving prescriptions to inmates that were not prescribed, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in court.

“During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Helen Bemis is allegedly stock-piling prescription medication from previous inmates,” an investigator wrote in the search warrant, adding that it appeared that Bemis was re-stocking and re-prescribing the medications.